A World Away
by darkblueballoon
Summary: Legolas and Gimli set out in their boat after the start of the 4th age. What new adventures will they have?
1. And So It Begins

**Disclaimer:** None of the characters belong to me, unfortunately. I am only borrowing them fora little while.

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A World Away

Chapter One: And So It Begins

Everything had been prepared. The small boat was laden with supplies of food and water, and a little beer to keep Gimli happy. He really was rather fond of the drink, and he and Legolas had argued about it. The elf wasn't at all impressed with the thought of having to share a very small boat with a very drunk dwarf. But in the end he had relented, knowing that Gimli was stubborn enough to keep the fight going for years.

The pair stood on the docks, friends and acquaintances gathered around them to wish them fair well, fair weather and a safe journey. All around there was happy chatter, loud and excited as the hour of departure drew closer.

"You are sure there is nothing more that I can do for you?" A tall regal man asked. The respect that the ordinary folk showed him marked him out as the King, once called Aragorn, now known as Elessar.

The elf shook his head and replied before the dwarf could ask for more drink. "No, friend. Anything else to be done, we must do ourselves."

Legolas looked around the dock, and at the world beyond. Yes, he would miss it deeply. But just as the Lady had said, the sea now held his heart in the place of woodlands, and he could not deny its call. The steadfast friendship he shared with the dwarf was all that he needed to survive the oceans. For a pair whose people had once been enemies they were now nigh on brothers.

"Your good advice will be sorely missed." The King said, with the slightest trace of sadness in his voice. "And none will know how much we are loosing until you two are gone. May your journey be a swift and safe one."

"Safe? What work shall there be for my axe if the journey is safe?" The dwarf demanded, bringing laughs from those who knew him well. "Boring it'd be." He added, looking like a sulking child.

"A safe journey, by sea." The King obediently amended, putting an emphasis on the last word. "May there ever be a fitting occupation for a warrior such as yourself whenever his feet touch land."

At that moment, one of the dockhands shouted high tide and a fair wind. It was time to leave.

"Farewell," Legolas said. "Until we meet again," He continued, his voice soft with the thing that they all knew: He and Gimli may never return, and if they do their friends who were on the dock before them may not be there to greet them.

"Keep and eye on those pesky hobbits," Said Gimli with a wink. Everyone knew that in his own way he was quite fond of the halflings that had been part of the Fellowship. They were also aware of how much trouble the Shire folk cause if given the chance.

"Mischief requires idle hands. I'll give them something to do and they shall be fine." The King spoke in a tone reminiscent of his days as the Ranger Strider, when much of what he had said had been in halves and riddles. Every so often he would fall back into the habit and only tell half of what he was thinking.

After a little more irrelevant chit-chat, the elf and the dwarf boarded the small boat and pulled the plank aboard. They stood at the rails as the steady wind billowed out the sails and sent them on their way to many new adventures, and even more marvellous discoveries.

They stood watching the dock disappear as they turned a bend in the river and headed out to sea. They moved over the boat, adjusting the sails and the wheel. Legolas, ever agile, climbed up the mast to play look-out while Gimli stayed with his to feet firmly planted on the wooden deck. Both were trying to anticipate what might come at the same time as taking their last glimpses of places that they knew to store like treasure in the chests of their memories.

Their journey had begun…


	2. The First Day Is The Hardest

**Disclaimer:** Same old thing. I do not claim to have created any of the characters that already exist in Tolkien's books.

_I am_ _sorry if my inaccuraciesbother anyone._

Please don't flame me, it doesn't help, but constructive critism is always welcome.

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**Chapter Two: The First Day Is The Hardest**

The never ending swaying of the boat had turned Gimli green. Between deep breaths he grumbled about how desirable solid earth was.

But Legolas, completely at home on the ship's deck would only laugh and remind his friend that he had volunteered to come. Indeed, Legolas had not been able to dissuade him. Of all the people the elf had ever met, the dwarf had to be the most stubborn.

"Isn't it glorious?" Legolas enthused, once again forgetting his friend's predicament. He turned his gaze sheepishly from the sprays of water that rose over the sides of the ship to Gimli and was torn between concern and amusement. "I guess I win the bet." He said after a while before turning back to the sea.

The wind was steady, the sails firmly tied in position, and with Gimli leaning against the wheel keeping it in place, he had no reason to worry about which way they were headed. Not that it was important anyway; they had no set course to follow.

"You cold hearted wretch," Shouted Gimli, as the rocking eased long enough for him to regain a little of his pride and composure.

"You call yourself a warrior? I'm ashamed of you Gimli." Legolas said, but the humour in his eyes curbed the sting that he knew the words would cause.

He turned his back on the ocean and walked adeptly along the deck until his was standing before the prone dwarf. He squatted down beside him and found that he had to admit the dwarf was not looking like a happy little bunny. His skin was almost green and he clung onto the axe as though it would save him from the bucking and rearing of the boat.

Taking a hold of the dwarf's arm, he heaved him to his feet, and walked him to the trap door that lead down into the dark storage areas that would also be used as a place to sleep. The motion of the boat wasn't as strong down there, and he last thing he wanted was Gimli moaning about vomiting all over the place.

"Sleep. It will help." Legolas advised, as he set the dwarf down on the heap of blankets that were to act as his makeshift bed whilst they were at sea.

On hearing Gimli mumble something that sounded like an agreement, Legolas took one last look at the dwarf and left the dark space for the fresh air of the deck. He couldn't help feeling sorry for Gimli. Aloof he may be, uncaring he certainly wasn't. He almost wished he had never told his friend of his idea, but what was done was done, and not matter how much he wished he had done different, it wouldn't change the fact that he had a sea sick dwarf on his hands, and an irritable one at that.

He walked over to the wheel, now spinning madly about its axis. With firm fingers he gripped it, made it stop turning and held it still. It happened quickly, his hands moving on little more than instinct. Could it really be less than half a day since he and Gimli had left their other friends standing on the riverside? To him it already felt like an age ago.

The elf stood at the wheel, looking out over to the horizons. He could just about make out the shape of land on the horizon on his right. After a moments thought he decided that it wasn't the same he had left behind scant hours before – the few details of the landscape he could make out were vastly different from any of the coastlines he could remember, and he wasn't one to forget easily.

After another moments thought, he considered it better not to rouse Gimli. The look on his face had almost been enough to start making his own stomach churn.

Slowly, he turned the wheel so that eventually the small ship was facing towards the newly sighted land. Looking around in search of a way to secure the wheel as it was, he lunged for a coil of rope while keeping one hand firmly grasping the wheel. Then, fumbling slightly from lack of practise, he lashed the wheel in place so that it wouldn't move.

That done, he moved towards the mast and swung himself up to the bar that held the sails. Carefully, he changed the position of the sail so it caught the wind coming from the right direction. The wind had dropped dramatically, and for a moment he feared that it would disappear entirely, but fortunately it pick up just enough to keep the little ship moving.

Gimli was lying on the blankets feeling awful. He felt like his stomach was jumping and doing somersaults, his breakfast threatened to come up and say hello and, worst of all, his head was throbbing. He tried to remember why he had agreed to go on this jaunt when he had known even then that he would feel like he did now.

But amid his uncharacteristic thoughts of self-pity, came Legolas's words: 'I guess I win the bet'. A small part of him taunted him for falling into the trap again. It was a well-known fact with all those who knew him that when Legolas made a challenge he would not back down whatever the cost. Some said it was because one was a dwarf and the other an elf. Others claimed that it was pride on Gimli's part. It didn't matter. He had still bet that he would be able to survive the first day at sea without feeling ill. Well he had lost that part of the bet, but by his grandfather's beard, that elf would not win outright.

Fighting back the nausea that threatened to take over him, he stood and wobbled his way back up on deck. Once out in the evening sunlight, he straightened his shoulders, raised his chin and did his utmost best to strut over to the foot of the mast.

"You won't win that easy." Gimli called up to Legolas as the elf swung down from the heights. "I'm back." He added, planting his feet firmly on the wooden deck and much to his amazement as well as that of the elf, he stood straight as an arrow, the titling of the ship affecting his balance no more than it did Legolas.

Legolas dropped his usual veil of reservation to smile. Quickly, he glanced about to make sure everything was holding and when certain he walked lazily over to the prow and looked out at the land they were now headed for. It was closer than it had been before, but it was still hard for him, sharp eyed or not, to pick out specific details.

"Land Gimli!" He turned to look back at the dwarf, only to find him standing a few feet behind.

"The sooner we reach it the better" The dwarf grumbled as he battled with another wave of nausea. "I'm bored of this tub."

"Already?" asked Legolas, a small smile curving his lips good-naturedly.

But the humour in the question was entirely lost on Gimli, who merely grunted and stomped off back to the mast where he felt considerably safer.

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It was well after nightfall when Legolas was woken by a shout. He and Gimli had been taking turns to watch the ship and make sure any adjustments were made to make sure that they stayed their course – this often meant that when the wind changed Gimli would wake Legolas and get him to change the sails and reposition the rudder.

Legolas opened his eyes to find himself looking into the eyes of a dark skinned woman. A voice in the distance shouted what had to be an order and she moved out of his line of vision and walked towards the trap door, through which a disgruntled Gimli was being dragged.

Another order was barked and a small group of dark clad men and women surrounded him. And going against his instincts, he did not reach for his bow, which he had keep near, or the knife he had sheathed at his belt. And those who surrounded him did nothing to try and take them. Out of the corner of his eye he noted that Gimli now clutched his axe, but was also surrounded by a small number of people.

Some in the circle that surrounded him pushed him forwards towards the side of the boat, and Gimli soon joined him.

"Do we fight?" Gimli muttered under his breath, somewhat piqued that they had been taken off guard.

Legolas shook his head. "See who they are and what they want first." He didn't want to see any blood spilt.

Gimli wasn't happy with it, but he had to agree it was the best way to handle the situation. "Who are they?"

Gimli jumped when the voice that answered him did not belong to Legolas.

"We are the Saenian Pirates. And you are our," The speaker paused. "Our new guests." There was something ominous about how he spoke that was substantiated not long after.

They were marched along a series of boards onto another ship, and then down into complete darkness, powerless to do anything to stop it. Neither had the heart for a fight, and each wanted to believe that there was a peaceful solution to the most undesirable scenario. After all, they were still in possession of their skulls.


	3. Captain Kalias

**Disclaimer:** The same as ever. I only own the characters that I created myself, NOT Legolas and Gimli... unfortunately.

Thak you, whoever you are, for adding my story to your C2.

Well... here's the third chapter, please review. I want to find out what you all think of it.

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Chapter Three: Captain Kalias

In the dark, it was hard, even for Legolas, to make out very much on the boat they found themselves on. Throwing a quick glance over his shoulder, Legolas could tell that the pirates' vessel dwarfed their own, and as they were marched further along the ship he saw that those who had boarded their own ship were but a sliver of the real number. If things turned sour, it as likely that things would fall against their favour. He could only hope that Gimli would be able to keep his temper under control.

No one had said anything since they had reached the second ship, but a curious gathering was forming in the wake of the two unlikely friends. Both could hear the strange words that they assumed were the native tongue of the Saenian pirates.

The two friends were led down into the bowls of the great ship, and as they walked down into the darkness their ears met the sound of many people snoring, and neither could help but wonder just how many people lived on the ship.

When they were finally led into what could only be the leader's quarters, they were nearly blinded by the sudden change in the quality of light. In the wooden cabin there were no corners left dark and shadowed, instead the number of candles that were dotted strategically around the room was almost dangerous. If one fell on the floor… well it didn't bear thinking about. The room was obviously only half of the quarters as there was no sign of anywhere to sleep, but there were a couple of tables piled high with parchments and maps and a few well fingered books.

Sitting behind the larger of the two tables was the man who could be none other than the commander of the vessel. He had looked up as the two captives were escorted inside and sat looking intently at them for long enough to allow Legolas to make a firm mental image of the man.

He was in his middle years, with a few wrinkles around his brown-black eyes. His skin was the darkest he had ever seen, much darker than that of most of the crewmembers. It made the whites of his eyes standout, and when he smiled to one of the escorts Legolas noted a good set of teeth. This man was active and healthy, and apparently lacked a sweet tooth. His coarse black hair hung in loose curls around his face. If he stood he would be tall and almost lanky, although it was hard to be sure under all the layers of clothing he wore. In all he did not remotely resemble the cold-blooded killer the elf had expected to find. In truth, he looked almost jubilant to see them.

The man rose from his seat and gestured for the crewmembers to leave them, and then he turned to them and spoke.

To both of them it sounded like little more than gibberish, and Gimli raised an expectant eyebrow. If an ordinary member of the crew could speak their language, then this man certainly would be able to.

The man spoke again, though a little less certainly this time. On seeing the bemused expressions on their faces, he sighed resignedly and shook his shaggy head.

"I am Kalias." The man stated, his lilting voice tugged at Legolas's memory, but he could not comprehend why. "You are on my ship, and for now you shall be my guests, sirs…?" He spoke each word slowly, as though he wasn't sure that they would be able to understand him, but that didn't lessen the politeness that reverberated in his tone.

"I am Legolas, and this is my companion Gimli." Legolas said after a pause. He had been debating whether or not to tell the truth. In the end he chose the route he thought would cause the fewest problems for them in the future. He knew from the sharp intake of breath from beside the dwarf wasn't of the same opinion.

Kalias smiled. "You are welcome aboard my fine ship, Sirs Legolas and Gimli." He said, bowing his head to them.

"Welcome? Your men took us captive!" Gimli said, his confusion at the situation manifesting itself as anger. "How is that welcoming?"

Legolas sighed. "I apologise for my friend, he h-" he started, but was cut short when Kalias raised his hand, a small, rueful smile on his face.

"Nay. It is I who am in the wrong." He said when Legolas opened his mouth to speak again. "I should have told my people to treat you honourably and with respect. But they sometimes get carried away. We so rarely sight another ship that when we do, they often forget themselves. Again I am sorry for any harm they did you."

Legolas's brows were knit together as he tried to make sense of the situation. They had been taken onto this ship as guests? He thought that pirates stole anything that they could trade. Maybe he had heard wrong, but it couldn't be possible. He knew his hearing was, if not perfect, then not far off. But at least it did not like they were in any immediate danger at the hands of these people.

"Let me explain," the man started, as if sensing the thoughts as they crossed the elf's mind. "We call ourselves, but only live up to the title when there is naught else we can do. For nigh on most of the time, we are a peaceful folk."

He said the words as though they explained everything, but for all their intelligence and wisdom, the nature of their hosts still eluded them and, although he would never admit it, it was frustrating the elf. He hated not knowing and having no way to find out.

"Who we are, why we are here, and why we took you from your own vessel will all be explained in due time." Kalias continued as if the questions were irrelevant. "As for now, would you care to eat or drink? I am sure you are thirsty at least."

The two friends looked dubiously at one another for a couple of seconds before each of them nodded. Neither of them particularly felt like eating, but thought it someone might make it all easier to understand.

Kalias nodded and clapped his hands. The door opening and people entering followed shortly after the action. They carried a tray of bread, and a jug of water and three small mugs. Another carried a small crate that would act as a table for the tray, while the last brought in two chairs, one for each of the guests.

When everything was in place, and they were all seated around the crate, Kalias started to talk again, stopping every now and again to take a sip of water.

"As I have already said, I am Kalias and I am Captain of this ship. My people and me are Saemian. We come from lands for far away we have lost track of the leagues that separate us from our ancestral home. As to why we are one a ship in the ocean, that tale is too long to tell this night.

"I had my people bring you on board for a good reason: your health, safety and possibly lives. My weathermen are talented, and I admit to not understanding how they know what they know, and I believe their warnings. A storm is coming, and your ship would not have lived to see the second day. One the women saw you, and the Council decided that we would help you travellers in anyway we could. And the only way we could do that was to take you off your own ship and bring you onto ours."

Kalias stopped as much to regain his breath as to take a sip of the cool water. This task of explaining took much out of he who wasn't overly familiar with the skill of reassuring suspicious guests. But presently, he started to speak once more.

"I have had a small room prepared for you, and all of things have been taken there. If anything is missing, I am most sorry and if I am informed in shall do all I can to remedy the matter. Now, however, I can see that you are weary and dull eyed from tiredness. Good night, honoured guests."

Before the two had time to think over what was said, and the sincerity or lack of it in Kalias's words they were ushered out of the man's room and along the cramped way. It wasn't far to the newly converted storeroom, and they took the candle and shut the door gratefully. Kalias hadn't lied, all of their things were now stacked on the corners and on shelves. On one side of the room, two piles of thick blankets had been stacked, obviously to act as beds for the pair. Without further thought, the two slumped down onto the piles and gave in to their tiredness. It wasn't long before they were asleep, all worries and doubts left forgotten until the morning.

On the horizon, unseen in the darkness, storm clouds rolled, slate grey and angry. The men and women up on the deck of the boat raised the faces heavenwards as the first droplets of rain fell. A few shuddered, muttering uneasily, but they all stayed on deck. It wasn't their time for food and sleep yet, and it wouldn't do t break the cycle. And so, while the elf and dwarf slept oblivious the Saenians waited in trepidation for the moment the first roll of thunder would be heard.


	4. Below Deck

**Disclaimer:** As always, I do not own any of the LotR characters, just the owns I have made up for the sake of the story. Thank you.

Please review. I want to know what you people who are reading the story think of critism is more than welcome.

_I would like to say thank you to the two people who have already posted reviews. I'm happy to hear that you're finding it interesting._

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**Chapter Four: Below Deck**

Each of the two companions had a fitful sleep, plagued by doubts and monsters, but Gimli was the worst. Every so often, he would wake and feel as though he was being watched, but in the complete darkness of the room he couldn't see his fingers in front of his face. Each and every time he woke up, he would lie, huddled under a blanket and try not to think about the little voices in his head that were filling it with doubts.

It was impossible to know what time it was when they were woken up, but from the noises they could hear, it sounded like early morning: the time when shifts changed and the sleeping came back to life. Gimli felt his stomach rumbling hungrily as a black clad man pushed the door open without a by your leave and announced that Kalias requested their presence in his room. After shouting out the words, he left as quickly as he had come, throwing a gust of air across the room as he pulled the door closed behind him.

Gimli heaved himself to his feet, stretching. Legolas rose quickly beside him as graceful as a cat, wide-awake within seconds. Gimli, however, took a few minutes to gain his bearings as he slowly pieced together the events of the night before. He felt uneasy as the residue of his dreams stung hung about him. But there was more to it than that. Even his conscious self was running alarm bells in his head, but he was at a loss to find a reason why. The only gratification he could get was noticing the uncertain expression in the elf's face, just visible in the dim light that filtered down from the world above.

"We should go." Legolas said slowly, looking around for his bow, quiver and knife.

As he spoke Gimli did the same, but saw no sign of the weapon. He turned to Legolas, frowning angrily.

"They took them." The dwarf stated, and the elf nodded.

"There is nothing else for us to do. We must go and see the Captain." Even as he spoke, Legolas's mind was alive with ideas, reasons and solutions to any of the possible scenarios that struck him as possible answers about why they were there.

Legolas strode confidently out of the room, with Gimli filing out behind, grumbling curses under his breath at the disappearance of his axe, and promising agonising vengeance on whomever took it upon its return. It made him feel a little happier about the whole situation.

They entered the captain's room feeling more than a little concerned about the direction their journey was taking. It wasn't meant to happen like this. It was all meant to go relatively smoothly, but now they were on a different ship entirely, practically held captive and in the distance they could hear the menacing rolls of thunder that signalled the arrival of the storm.

"Good morning," Kalias greeting the pair cheerfully, but the only reply he got was a bad tempered grunt from the disgruntled dwarf. His smiled faded.

"Please sit." He said, gesturing to the chairs that they had used the night before. The man looked much less hospitable now than he had before. There was no cheery smile crossing his dark face, which was now drawn and tired. His eyes were lifeless, dull.

Gimli stumbled slightly as a particularly large wave rocked the ship. It did nothing to improve his already fairly foul mood. Even Legolas, for al his poise and balance, wobbled slightly. Kalias and the other man in the room didn't seem to notice the movement, which infuriated the dwarf further.

"Where are our weapons?" Gimli asked, not having the patience to either beat around the bush or wait for Legolas to diplomatically bring the subject up in whatever conversation they would have been about to have.

For a moment, Kalias looked flustered, but he quickly composed himself. "They were put in a store room near your room, for safety, both theirs and yours. You see, friends, my crew are often starved for interesting company. However, when they finally find some new companions they are suspicious of them, especially if they carry weapons, such as you do. I had a trusted man put away to stop those suspicions taking root. "I am sorry for the misunderstanding, I should have told you." Kalias finished with little conviction.

Legolas stared at the strange man, weighing the words he had just heard, his pale eyes cold and calculating. Something didn't ring true. As much as he wanted to believe in the good will of men, there seemed to be some other motive at play, which he could not fathom. He knew that he and Gimli had to come to some kind of formalised agreement before Gimli's temper stopped bubbling over and spilled out in words and actions that both would probably come to regret.

"I can understand that." Legolas said, nodding his head in acceptance of the explanation, though he was still more doubtful than believing. The same nagging voice that was working away at Gimli was inside his own head. It was a voice he had learned to listen to over the many years that he had walked upon Middle Earth, and he saw no reason to abandon it now that he was out at sea.

"Friends I wo-" Kalias started, but was broken off by a sharp knock on the door, followed almost immediately by a person entering the room.

"Sir, the guests' boat has been lost." The words can quickly and identified the person as a woman.

"What happened?" Gimli demanded to know, turning to the tall figure.

The woman looked to Kalias to gestured to her to speak.

"It was tied to the ship by rope. A large wave struck the side and it took your ship down. The rope came loose. It was lost." The woman spoke quickly but at the same time made sure that each word was sharp and precise. Her accent was thicker than Kalias's and not the easiest to understand.

Gimli looked at the woman for a few minutes before nodding his head. He believed that that was what had happened. Though how a towrope could come loose even under that circumstance was beyond him. He didn't pursue it; he had more pressing things on his mind at that moment in time.

"When will I be able to walk around holding the axe without having to fear for my life, Captain?" Gimli asked, turning away from the subject of the ship. His voice was testy and held but the barest minimum of respect.

"As soon as the crew have come to trust you, friend Gimli." Kalias said, a placid smile crossing his face.

Gimli would have liked to put the smile somewhere where the sun didn't shine, but he held back his temper knowing that such things would get them nowhere. Until he and Legolas managed to get the truth out of the man before them, they would have to play whatever game they were now part of by his rules, not their own.

"May we explore the ship?" Legolas inquired, hoping that the answer would be yes. He wouldn't be able to cope if he couldn't get any fresh air.

"Of course you may. In fact, I was about to invite you to do so." Kalias smiled. "But first, I would like to introduce my second, Eadoin. If you have any needs or questions, and I am not to be found, you can go to him and he will see to it that your needs are met and your questions answered."

Kalias pointed to the man standing just behind him. He was dark, of middle height with broad shoulders. Even though they only managed a quick glance at his face, they could see that while one eye was a deep brown, the other was a pale blue.

"We would like to see your ship, sir, and then ask any questions." Legolas said once they had greeted Eadoin. "If that is fine by you."

"Go where you will. But would you please knock on any closed doors you find before passing through?" Kalias saw them nod. "Thank you. That said feel free to go now, friends. I am sure that you are bored of tarrying in this room when there is a whole ship to look around." Kalias said enthusiastically.

The pair bowed slightly at the waist, before turning around and leaving the room. After a moments discussion they decided that the would brave sea sickness and the storm and go up on deck to try and work out where they were, and to get a proper idea of the side of the ship.

They did not feel Kalias's dark eyes stare at the closing door, nor did they hear his aside to Eadoin.

"Watch them."


End file.
